The present invention relates to the field of drying devices and, in particular, to a device and method for drying and de-wrinkling articles of clothing utilizing a flow of air.
The inventor conceived of the present invention in response to a need that surfaced in his automobile and truck restoration business. At the time, he had seven shops and eighty-six employees. An accountant brought the business"" exorbitant cleaning expenses to the attention of the inventor, who was always looking for creative ways to ensure quality and control costs. Full-time mechanics needed sharp-looking uniforms to be cleaned quickly and without ironing in machines that could be operated by unskilled, part-time employees. Thousands of rags and chamois required rapid cleaning.
Despite this need, conventional cleaning and drying equipment failed to provide an effective solution. For example, conventional dry cleaning equipment is large, expensive, requires the use of harmful chemicals, and requires trained operators in order to effect satisfactory results. Because of these factors, such equipment is not readily available or desirable to individuals or small businesses.
Conventional wet washing and tumble-drying machines are effective at cleaning and drying clothing, and are readily available, and affordable, to individuals and small businesses. However, conventional tumble-drying typically results in dried clothes that are wrinkled and, therefore, not suitable for wear without de-wrinkling via ironing, steaming, or other art recognized means.
A number of non-tumble type dryers have been developed and patented. However, each of these fails to solve the problems encountered by the inventor of the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,640, titled xe2x80x9cHousehold Drying Centerxe2x80x9d, discloses a multipurpose household drying center in which a blower and heating chamber are disposed on the top portion of a cabinet to generate forced and heated air downward into a drying chamber in the cabinet below the heating chamber. There are horizontally disposed heat diffusion plates under the heating chamber and vertically disposed air ducts on the side walls of the cabinet to enable heated air to be evenly distributed and filled in the drying chamber for uniform drying of the goods held therein. A support stand having a horizontal and rectangular frame secured on the top ends of a pair of spaced and vertical telescopically structured tubes is disposed within the drying chamber for hanging clothes, and can support a wire basket for holding delicate or odd shape goods for drying. There are side rods on the sidewalls for hanging articles, and a base grid is provided above the bottom wall to hold heavy or odd shape goods for drying.
The above referenced patent states xe2x80x9cclothes and goods are dried without tumbling, thus avoiding fraying or wrinkles.xe2x80x9d However, this is not the case as the drying center fails to monitor and adjust the air for temperature and humidity, which are the primary factors in reducing wrinkles. Further, it requires that that same hot air be utilized for drying, creating a risk of damage to the clothing being dried and the risk of burns to users. Accordingly, although a distinct improvement over conventional tumble dryers, this drying center does not produce the level of sharp, wrinkle free clothing required to meet the needs of the inventor nor does it provide any safeguards against damage to clothing or injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,424, titled xe2x80x9cClothes Drying Apparatusxe2x80x9d, describes yet another non-tumble style drying apparatus that includes a hanger rod mounted above a drip pan element, that may be slidably removed from a drying cabinet so that wet clothing articles may be easily mounted on the hanger rod. The patent discloses a system that is similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,640, and further includes an automatic control so that the drying cycle may be pre-selected so as to achieve the most efficient drying of the clothing articles. However, this apparatus also has distinct drawbacks that make it unsuited to satisfactorily solving the problems solved by the present invention. For example, like the dryer of U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,640, this apparatus fails to monitor and adjust the air for temperature and humidity, which are the primary factors in reducing wrinkles. Further, it likewise requires that that same hot air be utilized for drying, creating a risk of damage to the clothing being dried and the risk of burns to users.
Another non-tumble dryer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,961, titled xe2x80x9cClothes Treating Cabinet with Inflatable Hangerxe2x80x9d. This patent discloses a clothes treating apparatus having a cabinet that defines an interior region for receiving clothes. The interior region has opposed inner side surfaces and a door is connected to the cabinet for closing the interior region. An inflatable hanger for supporting shirt-like clothes items is disposed within the interior region and is in communication with a blower that selectively inflates the inflatable hanger for pressing the shirt-like clothes item against the cabinet inner side surfaces. A steam generation means is provided for introducing moist air into the cabinet for humidifying the clothes item disposed therein. A heater and fan supply heated air into the interior region for drying the shirt-like clothes items disposed therein. During the de-wrinkling cycle, steam is introduced into the interior region while the inflatable hanger assembly is periodically inflated. Following the steaming period, the inflatable hanger is inflated while the clothes are subject to warm air such that the clothes wrinkles are pressed out and the clothes are partially dried, setting the clothes in a smooth appearance. Heated air is then delivered into the interior region to completely dry the clothes item.
This system claims to be effective at de-wrinkling already dried clothes, but has inherent drawbacks. The first, and foremost, of these drawbacks is the need to carefully arrange the clothing and inflatable hanger to avoid any unwanted creasing of the garment. If the hanger and clothing are not properly arranged, the inflation of the hanger will cause the garment to fold upon itself and cause a crease or wrinkle in an unwanted area. Another drawback is that the inflation of the hanger is unsuited for garments, such as pants or skirts, that require creases to be formed in the material. Another drawback is the increased cost involved in manufacturing an inflatable hanger and the need for hangers of many sizes to accommodate the many sizes of garments. Finally, the need to generate a separate flow of steam over the garment is undesirable due to the safety hazard attendant to live steam, the need to pipe in a source of water, or continually refill a water reservoir, and the increased cost in providing means for heating and distributing the steam. Accordingly, the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,961 is not effective at solving the problem of the present invention.
A drying apparatus and method that allows clothes to be cleaned quickly and without ironing or use of another appliance, that may be operated by unskilled, part-time employees, that does not require a large initial investment, a large space or the use of hazardous chemicals or live steam, that effectively removes wrinkles while drying, that does not risk the creation of additional wrinkles, that may be mounted anywhere within a home, and that does not require piping or constant filling of a water reservoir, is not known in the art.
The present invention is a drying apparatus and method that overcomes the drawbacks inherent in the prior art by removing wrinkles from clothes and drying them in a single appliance using a controlled flow of air through a small space without a conventional tumble drum.
The drying apparatus of the present invention utilizes forced air to dry clothes without tumbling them. A wind-tunnel effect, combined with the process of drying fabric from the top down create a new way to dry clothes that is superior to that in the industry today. The dryer of the present invention effectively dries and de-wrinkles clothing by passing a volume of high velocity air downward onto the article of clothing, which tends to move the water from the top of the article of clothing downward. The congregation of this water at the bottom of the article acts as a weight and places the article in tension, effectively preventing the formation of wrinkles. The inclusion of an exhaust vent and exhaust fan aid in the drying process by circulating the airflow through the drying compartment, effectively removing excess humidity that tends to prevent full and rapid drying of the clothing. Further, because the volume and velocity of air passing over the clothing are the primary means for drying, the drying apparatus of the present invention effectively dries clothing using warm air, or ambient temperature air, rather than the high temperature air utilized in conventional dryers.
The working model size includes a housing that is dimensioned to be sixty inches tall, twenty-four inches wide and eleven inches deep. However, larger and smaller models based on the same process and design as the preferred embodiment have been tested and are likewise effective at solving the above mentioned problems inherent in the prior art. The preferred housing is manufactured primarily of wood, as a wooden housing provides the unit with a xe2x80x9cfurniturexe2x80x9d look that allows it to fit in with the decor of a non-utility type room. However, it is envisioned that housings manufactured of sheet metal, or molded from polymer materials, may be substituted to achieve similar results.
The preferred drying apparatus presents as a tall box of relatively shallow depth with a door mounted on the front. The door preferably swings open on a hinge. Inside, there are two compartments; a lower compartment and an upper compartment, which are separated by a dividing wall. The lower compartment is the drying compartment, where the article of clothing is hung for drying. The upper compartment is the mechanical compartment from which the airflow into the lower compartment is created.
The upper compartment houses a mechanical assembly that preferably includes a heating unit, thermostat, humidity sensor, timer switch, fan, and a power converter, which are referred to collectively herein as the xe2x80x9cmechanical componentsxe2x80x9d of the dryer. In some embodiments of the invention, the heating unit, thermostat and humidity sensor are eliminated and the dryer performs its drying and de-wrinkling function utilizing air of ambient temperature. In still others, a separate intake fan and exhaust fan are utilized. In the preferred embodiment, some, or all, of the mechanical components are combined into one assembly, while in other embodiments each mechanical component is purchased separately and integrated together into the mechanical assembly by the manufacturer of the dryer.
The mechanical assembly is preferably controlled via a control system that includes a control console disposed upon the exterior surface of the upper compartment. The control system preferably includes a number of predetermined drying settings, such as permanent press, cotton, linen, or the like, corresponding to the type of garment to be dried, and selectable via a button, knob, or other art recognized control, disposed upon the console. However, other embodiments utilize analog controls that are manually set to controlling airflow, air temperature and/or drying time.
The upper compartment of the preferred embodiment also includes three vent holes through which air is moved to effect the drying and de-wrinkling of the clothing. The first and second holes are the air intake and air outflow vent holes through the dividing wall that place the upper and lower compartments into fluid communication with one another. The third vent hole is an exhaust vent, which is preferably mounted on one side of the unit. Because air is exhausted through this vent, these embodiments of the dryer must be mounted such that air may enter and escape therethrough. This is preferably accomplished by leaving a space between the dryer and an interior wall of the room in which it is disposed to allow the air to mingle with the interior of the room. This is preferred as it eliminates the need for unsightly and heat robbing exterior ducts. Such an arrangement presents a distinct benefit over present tumble dryers, which cannot be so vented due to the production of lint and other fiber particles that are hazardous if exhausted into an enclosed space. However, it is recognized that the exhaust vent may be attached to a conventional exterior duct through the building exterior to achieve similar results.
The lower compartment is of a generally larger size than the upper compartment and is dimensioned to accept an article of clothing. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower compartment includes a hanging device, such as a hook or wire, positioned near the top of the compartment and dimensioned to accept standard-sized coat hangers. The preferred lower compartment also includes holes through the compartment to allow air to exhaust from the compartment to the ambient air.
In operation, an article of wet clothing is hung on a coat hanger, which is disposed upon the hanging device in the lower compartment of the preferred dryer. The door is then closed and the control console is manipulated to a setting corresponding to the garment to be dried. The fan and the heating system are energized to cause a flow of heated air to flow through the heater outflow vent hole and into the lower compartment. Because the exhaust fan has not been energized, this air is forced to both re-circulate up through the heater intake vent and through the heater, and to exhaust through the vent holes in the lower compartment. When a set temperature and/or humidity has been reached, the exhaust fan is energized and begins to exhaust the moist air through the exhaust vent at a controlled rate until the end of the cycle.
In the most basic embodiment of the dryer, the exhaust vent, fan, heater, thermostat and humidity sensor of the preferred embodiment are eliminated, and air-flow alone is used to dry and de-wrinkle the article of clothing. In these embodiments, ambient temperature air of relatively high velocity is blown downward over the clothing, forcing the moisture downward towards the bottom of the article of clothing, and is exhausted through holes in the bottom of the lower compartment. As was the case with the preferred embodiment, the buildup of moisture at the bottom of the article causes the article to be placed in tension, effectively preventing wrinkles from forming. Further, because no heater is utilized, the power consumed by this unit, the overall cost of manufacturing, and the risk of damage to clothing are significantly lower.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that blows air from the top down, using the wet portions of the garment to place the garment in tension to prevent the formation of wrinkles.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that may utilize only a flow of ambient temperature to effect drying.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that utilizes an exhaust vent and fan that is energized when a predetermined temperature and/or humidity is reached.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that controls the temperature and humidity of the drying air via manipulation of the exhaust fan.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that allows exhaust air to be vented directly into a room.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that may be utilized as an air-freshener.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that maybe adapted for use as a boot or shoe dryer.
It is a still further aspect of the invention to provide a drying apparatus that may be safely used around children.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.